In Mark 4:39-41 , Jesus calms the wind and waves, asking his disciples why they are afraid and lack faith. In Matthew 21:21 , Jesus tells his followers that with unwavering faith, they can do extraordinary things, such as commanding a mountain to be thrown into the sea. Luke 17:6 states that even with faith as tiny as a mustard seed, one can command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey. In Matthew 17:19-21 , Jesus explains to his disciples that their inability to drive out a demon (and heal) was due to their lack of faith. He assures them that with faith as small as a mustard seed, they can move mountains and accomplish anything. Matthew 16:7-9 recounts a discussion among Jesus’ disciples about bread. Jesus questions their lack of understanding and reminds them of the miraculous multiplication of loaves in the past.
Is moving mountains by faith hard? Is using faith on demand to transmute material substance and multiply difficult or high-level Christianity? Is using faith on demand to make reality obey you as its servant a hard thing to do?
Jesus Christ does not think so. In the above passages Jesus rebukes the disciples for not making reality obey you, multiplying material substance, casting out demons and healing on the demand of faith. Jesus’ rebukes for doubting do not appear only at the end of His 3-year discipleship program, but start at the very beginning. Only after a little time teaching and showing examples, Jesus expected His disciples to do the same works. Think about that.
If Jesus’ presupposition is that faith to cause such things is difficult, high-level and rare, then His rebukes would not make since. If the were truly difficult and high-level, then Jesus would say, “do not worry, such things are for master petitioners, you will eventually get there over many years of practice.” No. He expects immediate results because faith can be done by beginners.
The deities of pagans are cure and capricious. They give you a command but deny you the ablity. Jesus is not so. Because He is commanding and expecting faith to move mountains, to tell reality what to do, transmute material substance and heal the sick, then He gives the ablity to do it. Thus, He expects results and fruitfulness.
Imagine Jesus getting upset with you because your family member needing healing from cancer, and they did not get healed when you prayed. You expected Jesus to sympathize with you, but instead He said you were a spiritual pervert and filled with unbelief. Jesus did exactly this to the disciples in front of other people in public. Would you still follow Him? Imagine some family came over and you need 7 more chairs and Jesus gets upset with you because you were afraid and not did use your faith to transmute your armchair into 7 more. Yet Jesus was upset with the disciple for exactly this type of situation. Would you still follow Him, if He rebuked you in the same way?
Yet, the disciples got better. Later Peter’s shadow healed more people than entire denominations combined. Healing was so easy for Peter that he did not even need to think about, only his shadow was need. Jesus presupposed healing and miracles was easy. The disciples matured and by faith they showed miracles were indeed easy.
Imagine me saying something so ridiculous as “If you believe, no mater how big it is, it will happen, reality will obey you, demons will scream, body parts will be whole, and material substance will transform into whatever you tell it to become.” Yet, this is exactly what Jesus said. You can call Him a liar, or extreme, but I will not. Jesus is God. He creates controls and defines reality. If He has defined me with the definition of “if I use faith whatever I ask will be done,” then I believe He knows what He is talking about.
Oshea Davis 